The press is not our enemy

[CajunBlazer]

As progressives we should be defending the press, not condemning them

They are reporting NEWS. This is the fault of the FBI Director who in the words of Gloria Borger, CNN political analyst, "He walked into a house, set it on fire and walked out" - meaning that he sent Congress a letter that he was reopening an investigation without giving any details which could have made the entire situation less explosive. i.e. They weren't Hillary's emails, they were not from her server, they might be duplicates of emails they have already investigated, etc. etc.

I am watching CNN right now and they are pointing all of this out as they get more information. You had better thank the heavens for the press because they are the only ones who turn this into the non-story it deserves to be.

And let me preemptively say this: YES, they should have reported what they knew (which admittedly wasn't much) as soon as they learned of it. 1) That is their job, 2) In this day and age of news websites and social media, it would have gotten out lightening quick anyway and probably with less accuracy.

That said, it is also the job of the press to look past the original headlines and dig out the rest of the story as soon as possible - and that at least is what CNN is doing.

[JSup]

1. They are not reporting news...

...they are reporting what someone else (Chaffitz) said about the news. Read Comey's letter and then look at the "zomg reopened FBI investigation" headlines. That was not the news.

[helpisontheway]

7. Exactly! Nt

[CajunBlazer]

8. When some in Chaffitz puts out of that kind of information - that's news!

Any reputable journalist would have reported it. You don't get to decide what's news and since most of the major press organizations jumped on the story at the same time - you were out voted.

You're just trying to kill the messenger. Stop it.

[Foggyhill]

12. What? So you take a partisan slant without even

Noting it!!! Straight up headline without even scare quotes and attribution
What?
Excuse me, the journalism I learned from actual journalists in my communication grad certificate says this is false

[CajunBlazer]

42. Your instructors probably gained experience in the days when...

.... news was delivered at most few times a day in newspapers. There is no way this story is not getting out in all of its glory instantly - if not form the traditional press - then via the internet and Twitter - and probably a lot less accurately with little follow up.

[BlueStateLib]

20. The media is knee jerk and incompetent, how many times have your heard the the media report below

The up-classified or contained classified information that was found on Hillary's server was written by career diplomats and bounce around the unclassified OPENNET Network @state.gov long before being sent to Hillary's server clintonmail.com, James Comey has stated this was not part of the investigation

[DLCWIdem]

52. they didn't repeat the facts

[SharonClark]

59. The reporters were reporting 'news' that was little more than gop propaganda

Being a stenograher for every repug lie is not reporting. It is spreading misinformation.

[CajunBlazer]

60. CNN was reporting on a letter written by the FBI director...

... which they had very early on. What isn't factual about that. Maybe you should blame the FBI director for "Walking into a house, setting it on fire, and then walking out" - the words of a CNN political analyst.

[DLCWIdem]

51. I agree they didn't get the facts before they reported

[CajunBlazer]

54. They reported the facts as they new them at the time

And by the way, those facts are still accurate. What has happened in the interim is that they have dug into the story and turned up more facts. All of the facts of this story will not be available for maybe months, would you have them try to sit on the story until then, or just so the story sound better for your side?

[Cakes488]

2. I agree the minute the media reports/says something that's not liked it's like off with their heads.

[Foggyhill]

3. Their incompetence is our ennemy

Correcting later once false info has been propagated far and wide for hours means they are almost criminally incompetent

[CajunBlazer]

14. Let's look at this another way

Let's say that the FAA reports that a plane carrying 150 people dropped off of radar and was feared down. There are no other details. Is that news that should be reported right away. Damn right it is!

Now let's say that it turns out that the pilots managed to land the plane on rural highway and every is safe. Does that mean that the original story should be reported.

If you want to blame someone, blame the FBI director for sending out the letter with no exculpatory details or, better yet, blame the asshole who tweeted the message out for partisan gain. The press was just doing their jobs.

[Foggyhill]

21. No, if your reporting false info, it is not

Equivalent to that
Thats more like the FAA radar saying the radar has been malfunctioning for weeks and the media reporting the drop out of radar without mentioning this fact

[CajunBlazer]

23. What about the original reports are untrue?

Answer nothing?

[Foggyhill]

26. They didn't re open the investigation, chaffertz said

That
So it was false, there

The spin right now is still a lot of innuendo so this first falsely has had a major impact

[CajunBlazer]

44. No, but others did - read the FBI letter - that is and easy interperation

The problem was with the FBI letter which had no exculpatory details, not the press reports.

Put the blame where it belongs and quit trying to shoot the messenger.

[helpisontheway]

4. CNN is our enemy! They knew that the case was not reopened

reopened but they kept saying that it was.

[CajunBlazer]

15. Not worth a full answer because that is just plain wrong

Last edited Fri Oct 28, 2016, 07:45 PM - Edit history (1)

[C_U_L8R]

5. The press needs to stop equivocating.

They seem like suckers for rightwing bullshit.
Check the facts before going to press/tweet/air.
Please.

[CajunBlazer]

28. Really?

What era are you living in? In today's interconnected society this story would have spread like wild fire whether or not the traditional press reported it. And it would have spread less accurately.

Let's quit shooting the messenger.

[C_U_L8R]

29. Yeah, really

Mindless tweeting is for amateurs.
I expect more from the professionals.

[CajunBlazer]

46. When CNN reported they had a copy of the FBI letter almost immediately

What were they supposed to do, sit on it? Your beef should be with the FBI Director who tried to CYA while giving no exculpatory details.

[quickesst]

6. Well said...

Well said indeed.

[still_one]

10. I am sorry they are NOT doing their job. They are cherry picking the story

The NY Times had this story out this morning, and CNN, and other clones choose not to present it

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/us/politics/fbi-hillary-clinton-email.html

[CajunBlazer]

18. What are they supposed to do - read every newspaper in the country

and report what they have not checked out themselves - ohhhh, that would be good journalism.

[still_one]

27. Oh come on. This information was available at the start. In addition, Hillary just gave her

press conference, and answered a few questions.

When they returned to the CNN host Erin Burnett, the first thing out of her mouth was that "Hillary looked angry"

Then she started to spew conspiracy theories with her guest, including Jeffrey Toobin, floating special prosecuters etc.

They are going BEYOND reporting the news.

[CajunBlazer]

30. And they are reporting that too aren't they?

Do you realize that when the facts come out this is going to make Republicans who blew this all out of proportion before they had the facts look like screaming idiots?

[still_one]

33. It took a week for the pneumonia feeding frenzy to go away. How long do you think it will take

for this to go away?

[CajunBlazer]

47. CNN never bought into the "pheumonia feeding frenzy"

In fact they had their chief medical corespondent on all of the first day saying that it was probably due to over the med she took for a cold and dehydration. Get your facts strait. If you think it went on for a week you must have been attending Trump rallies or getting your news from unreliable sources.

[still_one]

58. I am not going to go issue by issue with you, but CNN with John King and others were doing their

share. As for quip about trump rallies, CNN sure did their share of exposure there also:

https://trofire.com/2016/10/14/cnn-ceo-zucker-admits-network-helped-trump-much-airing-unfiltered-rallies/

and when the awful Sago Disaster in West Virginia occurred where 29 miners were killed, CNN was right in front of the story telling everyone that there were twelve survivors.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Then again the Chuck Todd school of journalism where he stated it isn't the journalists job to expose falsehoods about things, kind of says it all about journalism today in America

[rockfordfile]

11. Of course the so-called Press like CNN and CBS News are the problem

Americans don't trust them anymore.

[CajunBlazer]

31. The far left and far right wing nuts certainly don't trust them

[still_one]

13. She just gave a press conference, and guess what good ole CNN characterized it as

"Hillary looks angry"

The press does not have to be our friend, but they also should NOT misrepresent, lie or use other innunendos

[CajunBlazer]

19. She probably was angry - I would be for sure

But I wouldn't be angry at the press

[still_one]

41. They are distorting the facts intentionally. They have been pulling this bullshit for a long time

When the ACA ruling was handed down, the first report came down was that the SC ruled it unConstitutional. They had to retract that headline, when someone had the bright idea to actually READ the ruling.

When Gabby Giffords was shot, they reported she was killed. Fortunately, they had to retract that when it was found that their information was wrong.

Except for Knight Ridder, they told us there were WMDs in Iraq. Another lie.

They are so many examples I can name how they have FAILED at their job it is pathetic.

There was a time once in this country where nothing would get reported until they had multiple verifiable sources. That is no longer part of the landscape.

This is the kind of garbage that will get the candidate who was endorsed by the KKK elected.

You are damn right I am angry at the press, or should I say the CORPORATE MEDIA

[CajunBlazer]

48. Which channel were you watching - FOX News?

[Cakes488]

16. OMG like it's "news" that the news like to have splashy headlines. Get a grip...grow up and let

them unpack it. Once it's all laid out and it's still being twisted...then it's time for knickers to be twisted.

[BigDemVoter]

17. I will defend the press when they do their fucking job(s).

When they behave like stenographers, they deserve NO respect.

[CajunBlazer]

22. That is a statement I would expect from far left and and far right wing nuts.

[BigDemVoter]

25. Being from Cajun Country as you must be, I would assume you have

a lot of experience with the latter.

[CajunBlazer]

34. I have lived in Alabama for 30 years and I assure you

I have had a lot of experience with far right wing nuts. My knowledge of far left wing nuts came from DU during the primaries.

But yes, I under stand the views of both far right and far left wing nuts real well.

[Cakes488]

55. they sure do have lots in common !

[CajunBlazer]

57. Yep, thus the Horsehoe Theroy

[Tom Rivers]

24. the press is the ones not accurately reporting updated details on the story

still making it like it's some bombshell and bringing on republican hacks and trump campaign people to spin it how they want it to be rather than what it really is.

[CajunBlazer]

36. Journalist are supposed to report what they have when they have it

And they are then supposed to dig in and get the rest of the story. They can't control how politicians spin the story. And in this interconnected society, how long do you think the original story would have stayed under wraps - 5 minutes?

[NHDEMFORLIFE]

32. If they did their jobs, that would be correct

Fact is, national media members are lazy, cowardly and self-important. They blast out the first news they hear, which then becomes the storyline. It used to be that reporters would frame the news in a context designed to get at the truth;these days, they don't bother yo give the news any depth.
It's just swell that CNN is getting around to that, but they are too late. In the minds of millions of people, the die was cast with the news bulletins.

[GusBob]

35. In the weeks leading up to the Iraq war they were breathless about WMDS

Talking endlessly about things that did not exist.

How many people died in that war?

Judith Miller anybody?

They most certainly are the enemy.

Wake up brother

[CajunBlazer]

38. When the President of the Unsited States, the VP and his whole administration ...

... or advertising that Iraq had WMD - that's news. Quit blaming the messenger and put the blame where it belongs. The press was the first to report that lies had been told.

We need to quit acting like far right and far left wing nuts by blaming the press for our problems.

[GusBob]

43. It took me 3 clicks on the net to figure out there were no WMDS

Eom

[CajunBlazer]

50. And your sources would have been believed over the declarations of the POTIS?

Hell with three clicks of a mouse I can find any opinion I want to hear - that doesn't make it reliable even if later turns out to to right. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Are as we like to say in the South, "Even a blind hog can find an acorn occasionally."

[BlueStateLib]

37. The media has turned news into a reality show

[CajunBlazer]

39. News is instant these days - get over it.

[BlueStateLib]

53. News nowdays is equivalent to professional wrestling is to sports

Opinion shows masquerading as news.

[CajunBlazer]

56. You just want the media to sit on a story until it sounds better for your side, right?

[Kaleva]

65. It was far worse in the 1800s.

newspapers were openly partisan back then and they'd make shit up in an effort to sell more papers.

[PunksMom]

40. They did this for one reason

and here it is. They have created this huge cloud of doubt, and questions. Comey is playing the game. If he weren't, he would have been holding a press conference already, immediately, to clear this up. Yes, the repubs did just what they wanted to do, & divert attention away from their horrible choice of a presidential candidate.
Hopefully, people will
See this for what is is...total BS.
The press needs to step up & slow down the continued gossip. They are STILL talking about it as if it's something Hillary is guilty for. I'm pissed at this point.

[CajunBlazer]

64. That may be true - but "they" is not the press

[PunksMom]

66. No, "they" are the GOP.

That being said, the press isn't perfect either...JMO

[CajunBlazer]

68. Agreed - and no one is perfect

not even me and you

[PunksMom]

77. I'm close🙆 Lol

[CajunBlazer]

78. Not as close a me

[PunksMom]

79. Lol!

[joeybee12]

45. They're jackals

Whatever happened to verifying information instead of being fed from right wing hacks? This is sensationalism not journalism.

[CajunBlazer]

67. What network were you watching?

Almost from the start CNN had a copy of the FBI Director's letter in their hands and were reporting that. As CNN political commentator Gloria Borger said several time this afternoon, James Comey "walked into a house and set it on fire and then walked out". pointing out he that he provide on exculpatory details in his letter

You folks are accusing the wrong people. It was Comey, a Republican who started all of this mess with his unwarranted letter. It was also Comey who also instead of simply stating that he did not have the evidence to charge Hillary who went out of his way to try to convict her in the court of public opinion by claiming that she was "careless" with classified information.

And of course Trump, Ryan and the rest tried their best to blow it all out of proportion.

Instead of putting the blame were it belongs, you folks seem intent on shooting the messenger. Given the venom which I have seen directed towards the press on this issue, you would think that DU had been taken over by a bunch of far right or far left wing nuts. They really hate the press.

[MineralMan]

49. Nor is it our friend.

Truly.

[CajunBlazer]

69. MineralMan I normally agree with you...

...but you and I both know that the press should be no party's "friend".

[moonscape]

62. I was so struck by the RW'er who was frothing for TrumpTV, saying

he wanted unbiased news, while saying the last unbiased news was Cronkite and Brinkley. All sides hate the press it seems, and CNN seems despised by most. I don't, even when annoyed.

I won't wade into this press thing further, except to say, apropos to nothing except press mention:

I've been enjoying the Washington Post a lot lately, mostly because I got a free digital subscription with a subscription to our local paper. Had been a NY Times reader for decades, but wow, The Washington Post has been awesome, been my main paper for a while, and continue to be going forward.

Charlie Rose interviewed Jeff Bezos for his show - great interview. When asked why he bought the Post, he said, 'because it's important. I wouldn't have bought an upside down salty snack company ...' He talked about the great work they were doing, how there is no way he would interfere because it would be akin to barging in to a surgical procedure and supposing to take over from a neurosurgeon. His respect for them, and the importance of not injecting political bias was clear, and the reason he felt he was viewed as an attractive buyer.

[CajunBlazer]

72. Oh, that's the problem - you have been watching MSNBC again

And I expect you have "been enjoying the Washington Post a lot lately" because they have been turning up a lot of Trump dirty laundry lately with their investigative reporting. I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't like them so much if it was you ox that was being gored and their investigative reporting was turning up Hillary's dirty laundry.

So if it has come down to liking the press only when they say what we want to hear, it appears that we are being a tad disingenuous. Too bad we are not ever being true to ourselves because of our prejudices.

[moonscape]

85. Yes, I have an admitted bias. A strong one. But I don't agree with your analytical leap

that I like the Post because of its Trump reporting. I've been very critical of many things on my biased side, and gravitated to the Post long before. If you think they were easy on Clinton, re emails, you've not been reading the last couple of years.

But yes, I do like that they have held Trump's feet to the fire, unmasked him via facts and doing the sort of reporting that reporters should do.

[BigDemVoter]

63. And the "media". uses public air waves to broadcast.

Last edited Fri Oct 28, 2016, 09:12 PM - Edit history (1)

Their focus was historically known as the 'public good' without which a democracy would function.

Now that our news has become intertwined with entertainment (i.e. "newsreaders" who call themselves "journalists" such as Matt Lauer) people can no longer discern reality from fantasy. This isn't just a result of the simple dumbing down of America. We have Fox News (Joseph Goebbels'media dream) to broadcast bald faced lies, innuendo, to every household in the country.

MOST of the media in the US is now owned by big business: 6 notorious ones
1. General Electric
2. Time Warner
3. Newscorp
4. Viacom
5. CBS
6. Disney

I can ASSURE you that not one of these big businesses is particularly interested in the responsibilities of the fourth estate. All six of these businesses are interested in one thing and one thing only: MONEY

tRump coverage brings money
General Coverage from our esteemed "media"?
HRC. "Liar. Faux feminist, Feminazi. Control freak. Liar. . . .Criminal".. . . Did I say liar?
Al Gore? "Invented the internet. Liar. Boring. Pompous. Said he was basis for Love Story."
The THEFT of the 2000 election?
What did our media say?
"Get over it."
"GWB 'won'"
"It's for the good of the country"

The War ON Iraq?
Our "embedded" reporters acted like it was a fucking Video Game bragging about all the "Kills" they got to watch
Critical Coverage or questions asked prior to invading a free country? None particularly.



So-- the "media" or whatever we want to call what's left of a proud tradition in this country has become cravenly whorish. It serves very little purpose (as there is very little responsible journalism left). When I heard reporters FINALLY asking George W. Bush abut 911, they completely wasted their opportunity with a typically vapid question, "Mr. President, how has your faith affected your response to this. . . tragedy? . . . sniff."

When I read or hear stories that give equal weight to a logical fallacy in which two opposing arguments appear to be logically equivalent when in fact they are not, it's generally something our Big Business, Corporate-owned Infotainment has served up.

For instance, "There are those who believe in evolution and those who do not. Evolution continues to be controversial."

Umm. No. In fact, evolution is not "controversial." This is another small but typical example of how these idiotic "controversies" are concocted.

I have no problem with an honest press-- and when I say "honest"-- I mean an equal-opportunity press that is truly impartial and is just as willing to go after liberals as conservatives. What I have a problem with is the invention of scandal with little follow up, little information, and with the point of disrupting a legitimate candidate with another platter of lies. And whether one finds this "crazy" liberal or not, it's the truth.

As long as we have the press behaving so irresponsibly (with a few notable exceptions), I don't blame HRC for staying away from them. She's been burned in the past, and she knows too.

[CajunBlazer]

74. Yep, it is another damn conspiricy. Everything is rigged against us!

Now who does that sound like?

[BigDemVoter]

87. Another false equivalence is what it sounds like.

But instead of whining and doing nothing, we have gotten people out to vote. Yes, the mainstream media, including Fox News and most of the corporate-owned networks DO want the Republican to win.

And I think I gave enough detailed examples. Nonetheless, we will win despite a rigged election that has been gerrymandered to death, and NO the gerrymandered districts have NOT been reported on as have the non-existent voters intent on defrauding the election.

And by the way, those "crazy liberals" you mentioned? We wouldn't be winning this election without them.

[workinclasszero]

71. The corporate news media is our enemy!

They are run by huge republican corporations. I'm sure they would rather have Herr Drumpf win the election over Hillary.

When they aren't pushing the republican line they act like the worst carny sideshow barkers! All the care about is ratings and eyeballs glued to their damn networks.

These bastards don't mind that the world is burning because...ratings!

[CajunBlazer]

73. No offense, but...

.... I would normally expect statements like that from far right or far left wing nuts. They too hate the press because everything is a conspiracy theory to them.

[workinclasszero]

75. Well then I give you exhibit number 1....

The breathless smearing of our candidate Hillary Clinton from each and every major news media outlet in this country just a few hours ago!

What the hell!? Did i just hallucinate all the lies and innuendos that are all over cable news networks and the internet today?

I was on my PC earlier when i got a damn newsflash from NBC news that Hillary Clinton's email investigation was being reopened by the FBI which is a TOTAL LIE!

[CajunBlazer]

76. Which network are you watching? MSNBC?

It had to be one where you expect the news to be ground up and strained through an ideological filter before it is served to you.

[Gabi Hayes]

80. more fools for scandal posts than I can count here

what an utterly useless thread

[CajunBlazer]

82. And yet Gabi you not only clicked on it

You also chose to contribute to it.

You remind me of folks who what MSNBC instead of turning the channel and then do nothing but complain about it.

[Gabi Hayes]

83. you remind me of....

last post on this tumor of a thread

can't believe it got so many responses

[Gabi Hayes]

81. can this please be the last post on this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2553805

[Demsrule86]

84. We don't have a press...we have corporate media...and they are completely worthless. nt

[BlueCollar]

86. the issue I have with the "press"

Is their manner of reporting "news."

When they return to engaging in "reporting" I will accept your premise, but as long as they engage in yellow journalism they are not to be respected.

E.g. I kept hearing NBC reporters using the term "Hillary Clinton e-mail scandal" today when this latest information was disseminated.

Exactly what scandal?

Words matter and a responsible press has a 1st Amendment responsibility to use them judiciously.

[Gabi Hayes]

88. I completely agree, but this thread is not worth the effort....so many others

[CajunBlazer]

89. And yet you keep on posting on it - kind of amazing

[Gabi Hayes]

91. what's amazing is that this finally expired load lasted as long as it did

only reason it did is because of......well, that's obvious



and go right ahead with your childish need to have the last word, cause that's what it'll be.

there is
NO
doubt that the main threat to our democracy is, indeed, a corporate media that exists ONLY to to support a system that requires misinformed rubes that are duped into thinking that an organized system of propaganda somehow presents reality as it actually exists, all in service to what end? maximize shareholder profit, with zero consideration of the "general welfare," a sadly outdated phrase

when six corporations control the worldwide flow of information, those that struggle to get the truth out have little chance for their voices to be heard over the roar of the Ubiquitous big lie

read Robert McChesney's Rich Media, Poor Democracy. it amply demonstrated how bad things have gotten, and correctly predicted that things have only gotten worse since he wrote it

now, goodbye forever

[CajunBlazer]

92. LOL! "childish need to have the last word" - oh, you are not talking about yourself

We use LOL too casually. Most of the time we think something is funny, but we aren't literally "laughing out loud". This time I really am. Thanks for a bit of humor on a Sunday morning

[FrenchieCat]

90. I especially love the segments where...

Reporters interview each other! Such experts there are on absolutely EVERYTHING!

And their multitasking on multiple new stories at one time is sooo impressive!!!